Brooklyn cafe publicly shames Rep. Dan Goldman over his pro-Israel views, asking if his coffee “tasted like genocide” and vowing it would have turned him away
Amid a very divisive primary election year in which leftists made trumped-up genocide claims their signature campaign issue, Rep. Dan Goldman was among the incumbents facing a challenger for his support of Israel, with the exception of his otherwise solid liberal voting record. On Sunday, he visited Poetica, a coffee shop in Williamsburg, which received a fiery comment on the chain’s Instagram account.
“We see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee,” the caption reads under a surveillance-camera still of Mr. Goldman in front of the shop’s cash register. “Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide juice? Or are you still having a hard time telling the difference?”
Spread throughout Brooklyn’s belt of brownstone and gentrified neighborhoods, Poetica’s identity blends the progressive ethos of “radical hospitality” with the Uzbek sense of the mahalla, or tight-knit neighborhood in which the coffee shop is the chaikhana, where people meet over a cup of tea.
“We don’t serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between,” the post continued. “Too bad we didn’t recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away.”
Goldman experienced the Oct. 8 attack on Israel. His family hid in a hotel stairwell as Hamas rockets fell on Jewish communities and hostages were taken to Gaza. In the months following Goldman’s return to Brooklyn, his district office was vandalized with red paint, and on social media, his support for Israel branded him a “genocide enabler.”
Recognizing the sentiments of his constituents, Goldman spoke out against the policies of Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, distanced himself from AIPAC, and reiterated support for the two-state solution. In the neighborhood where he purchased Poetica’s cup of coffee, an equally divisive congressional race has Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso facing Queens Assemblywoman Claire Valdez for the seat vacated by Nydia Velazquez, the first Latina to represent the city in Washington. She supports Reynoso, while Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed Valdez, who tweets about “apartheid” and “genocide” at least once a week. It has not won him much support from the antisemitic Left, which noted his past visit to Israel as a disqualifier.
Instead of confronting these lies, Reynoso followed Goldman in condemning Israeli policies and AIPAC, and went further by criticizing an Israeli real estate event in Brooklyn last month that brought demonstrators with Hamas and Hezbollah flags to Flatbush.
In a menschlich response to Poetica’s hateful post, Goldman noted that he entered the shop so that his seven-year-old daughter could use the restroom.
“The barista could not have been nicer to my 7-year-old daughter and me,” he wrote. “I made sure to buy a coffee in return for her kindness. I hope you at least make sure that she gets the tip that she deserved.”
But the coffee shop’s owner poured on the hate, responding that Goldman’s purchase was refunded and that he will be supporting his opponent, Brad Lander.
The backlash intensified after reports highlighted past social media activity by Poetica owner Parviz Mukhamadkulov and the coffee shop itself. The since-deleted post told Goldman, “We don’t need your money,” adding that it was “probably coming from AIPAC,” and concluded, “Don’t ever come to Poetica.” Reports also noted that Poetica had previously posted anti-Israel material, including a January Instagram post showing two Israeli officers with a Palestinian detainee and the caption, “[Expletive] Israel.” Mukhamadkulov has also reportedly railed against Israel online, including after the October 7 Hamas attack, and has reportedly called Israel “the Nazi Germany of current time.” According to Washington Free Beacon reporter Jon Levine, Mukhamadkulov has also accused Israel of being behind 9/11 and celebrated the deaths of Israeli soldiers. Levine further reported that Mukhamadkulov and Poetica owe New York State nearly $400,000, mostly in unpaid sales taxes, with all but one of his 16 docketed tax warrants incurred in 2025.
Particularly notable is that Mukhamadkulov is an immigrant from Uzbekistan, which has a centuries-old Jewish community that shares many cultural ties with the dominant Muslim population. Having worked as a translator for Bukharian Times publisher Rafael Nektalov, I attended events with him that exemplified this relationship in the form of Shashmaqam music festivals, openings of Uzbek immigrant businesses in New York, and conferences relating to shared history. I’ve also written about Manashe Khaimov’s kosher tours of Uzbekistan, where participants meet Uzbek caretakers of Jewish cemeteries, synagogues, and former Jewish homes.
Following the wave of Bukharian Jewish immigration to New York and their stories of success, their Uzbek compatriots now have their own enclaves in Brighton Beach, Bensonhurst, and Forest Hills. They speak the same language and patronize each other’s businesses in an example of continued interfaith cooperation in this new world.
Unfortunately, the toxic mixture of Islamic extremism and progressive politics is seeping into the Uzbek immigrant community. Last month, Oceana Theater in Brighton Beach canceled a concert by Yuldoz Usmonova following an outcry by Jewish activists, including Assemblyman Michael Novakhov, who represents that neighborhood.
“This was never about politics or censorship,” said Novakhov. “This was about drawing a clear moral line. Someone who publicly calls for suffering upon Jews and their descendants should not be welcomed into the heart of Brooklyn’s Jewish community for applause and celebration.”
Honored as a People’s Artist of Uzbekistan, her remarks on the Gaza war clearly went past merely criticizing Zionism.
“Know this, all who are against Muslims will burn in fire. Know that we will unite,” Usmonova wrote. “We are with you, dear Palestine. May the almighty rain all misfortunes upon your heads, Jews!”
At a press conference following the cancellation of Usmonova’s concert, Novakhov was joined by Nektalov and Rabbi Nahum Kaziev of Ohr Natan, among other Jewish voices. “We, too, are Uzbeks—that is, Uzbeks of Jewish origin,” Nektalov said. He then quoted Uzbekistan’s founding president, Islam Karimov, who visited Israel in 1998, saying, “We are one people and two religions.”
Neither Usmonova nor Mukhamadkulov had further comments on their antisemitic views. The latter merely deleted his Instagram post and made the account private, which was enough for Lander.
“There are plenty of ways to lobby elected officials and express outrage at the votes they’ve taken without turning coffee shops into places people don’t feel welcome. I’m glad Poetica took down their post, and I thought Rep. Goldman’s reply was extremely gracious,” he wrote.
Lander is hardly an authority on combating antisemitism, as he campaigned over the years with hostile individuals such as Linda Sarsour and endorsed Mamdani in his mayoral run after his own chances for that office became less realistic.
“Turning a cup of coffee into a Jewish identity litmus test is an affront to the law, our values, and every New Yorker who rejects discrimination,” wrote Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. “If an identifiable Jewish customer walks into a coffee shop wearing a kippah or Magen David, are they expected to first disclose their views on Middle East policy before being served?”
Trump administration official Harmeet Dhillon, who has the civil rights portfolio at the Justice Department, hinted at potential legal action against Poetica. “These actions are not only reprehensible, they’re potentially illegal. The Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation and will bring enforcement action if warranted,” she tweeted.
By Sergey Kadinsky
